Tenebrae and Torch
by Victoria LeRoux
Summary: When Sirius Black escapes Azkaban, he'd torn between finding Harry, seeking revenge, or trying to unite the last of the Marauders. However, the wizard is about to find that his escape is the start of a turmoil in the Wizarding World.AU, 10 year old Harry
1. Prologue: Flight and Freedom

_Tenebrae and Torch_

_Author's Note- This theme is one used by many authors greater then myself. It's the guilty pleasure of Harry Potter writers that are a fan of Sirius Black. It's like time-travel fics for the Final Fantasy VII fandom, because you've seen it done before, seen Sirius escape from prison and have a happy home with Harry after the callous use of a potion that reveals the truth. Well, I don't aim to go through things that way, so I hope I'm not as predictable as many other stories, no matter how excellent those stories were. As usual, certain elements are required for everyone to stay in character, so there will be some elements you'll notice that are common (obviously the escape from Azkaban stuff has to happen). The title roughly means "Darkness and Light"._

_My author's notes aren't usually this tedious, but I will admit the prologue is meant to be short. Every other chapter besides this one will be at least 2000 words, with an average of about 4000, sometimes 5000. I expect the story to be at least 40,000 words, so I hope you enjoy it. Also, reviews, as always, are appreciated. I admit that the prologue might seem a bit slow, but things pick up shortly. Also, there will be violence. Sirius will do bad things. There will be Death Eaters. My final warning, and the one that should be most heeded? There will be Umbridge. _

_Against my better judgement I am posting this with only a few chapters complete. However, I have a very clear idea of where I am going. This is a "gen" fic, meaning only canon pairings at the time. So no Siri/Rem beyond friendship, sorry for youshippers._

_As they say, "Do your thing, Dirty Harry." So without further ado, let's begin!_

**The Dementors are the foulest creatures to walk the earth. They feed on every happy memory, every emotion, until there's nothing left. ~Remus Lupin**

_Tenebrae and Torch  
Prologue  
"Flight and Freedom"_

The island shuddered as the ever-present gales crashed outside. The entire island was shrouded in an air of angst and despair, threatening to shatter the morale of any sane creature on the island. The occupants weren't safe from the storm, each cell had bars that covered the window. The bars did little to protect them from the water that poured through the window, only prolonging the misery of the inmates as they waited for their eventual fate to come to hand- the lingering insanity that would end their life in a Kiss.

Over three-quarters of the Azkaban cells were filled, most of them from the war with Voldemort- or, as they called their master, the Dark Lord- but a few here and there were for other crimes, usually along the lines of dark artifacts, smuggling, murder, and other crimes that haunted every society. All but one was guilty of the crimes that they had been accused of, and often they were guilty of far more crimes that couldn't be proved. However, one man was accused of crimes that he had never dreamed of committing.

This one man had been in here since Voldemort's demise. He had gone for a week, being sought by authorities, as he chased down his former childhood friend. Blinded by rage, he had cornered his friend and confronted him with the betrayal of his friends. However, the entire thing was a set-up. When his friend- Peter Pettigrew, the name still made him wince when he thought about it, which wasn't very often these days- had framed him and escaped, the convict had laughed when all the pieces fell into place.

Throwing away his dark memories and dismal thoughts with difficulty, after all, the Dementors were there for a reason, Sirius Black stood, his muscles shaking as he managed to fight his way to his feet. The monsters that ghosted along his corridors retreated for the first time in hours, days even, maybe weeks, there was no time measurement here, and the prisoner of Azkaban made his move.

The lighting flashed across the darkness outside, blinding everyone who had been staring at the sky. The light vanished, leaving guards and every sane inmate blinking their eyes to clear it. There was total darkness, and in that brief window of time, the scarred prisoner was gone, no longer human, but a mangy black mutt.

When the Dementors passed an hour later, the skinny dog shuddered and took a step back, giving a small whine before they finished ghosting by.

The feeling of numb, icy terror faded slightly, and Padfoot took the opportunity to slip through the bars, his tag giving a slight wag as he ghosted through the halls and exited the prison.

Padfoot was free, free of the prison, of the Dementors, free of the ministry officials checking to make sure he hadn't escaped. The wizard had slipped the noose, and now he could hide. The dog padded silently towards the crashing waves and gave a small shiver. He noticed a small bundle of wood that must have been used at some point to keep the guards warm. However, it would float and keep him alive until he found himself on shore. Padfoot blinked at the bundle and grabbed the rope securing it in his teeth before he dragged it behind him. When Padfoot reached the edge of the rocky outcropping he pushed his small life-raft off the cliffs. For a moment he just stared at it, a small whimper escaping his throat. However, he knew that if he waited, it would float away and he would be trapped. Bravely, his hesitation over, he leapt off the rock, flinging himself into the waves.

The dark dog bravely fought the crashing current until he found himself too weak to carry on. He might be free, but he was still in danger. The waves were sweeping him under water now, and it would be easy to just slip below the current, to let the dark waters wash over his head, to let the dangerous waves pull him under until he couldn't survive any longer. However, Padfoot fought it, a snarl coming out of his throat as he found himself next to the bundle. He dragged his sodden body out of the current and onto the floating wood before he let himself collapse.

Too tired to keep fighting, the dog laid his head down, his dark eyes disappearing as he closed them. He shivered slightly, but was too tired to fight the cold. Instead, he drifted off into a worn out and deadened sleep.

_Discidium_

Padfoot gave a low whine as he awoke, still bobbing gently on the sea. The waves were calm now, and the only thing he could do was wait until he reached a shore. The man in the shape of a dog wasn't sure what to do- would he go after that useless _swine_, Peter Pettigrew, that had killed his friends? Or would he find his last remaining friend, Remus, and beg for his help? There was a third option, to find his godson, but that one made Padfoot hesitate. The boy, Harry, would only be eight or nine, at most, and he was probably living a happy life.

However, Padfoot- he reminded himself with difficulty his own name, _Sirius_- couldn't go see Remus. The wizard was likely to hex him if he appeared out of the blue to greet him. Padfoot gave a low whine. He knew that if he went after Wormtail, the traitor would get some Death Eater friends to hex him worse than Remus would.

Padfoot barked. The moon was up after he had slept the day away, and he realized there was a week and a half until the full moon. The Animagus gave a low whimper at the thought of Moony going through the transformation alone. He conveniently forgot that the werewolf had been doing that for at least seven years, give or take a few, and instead he worried.

Padfoot scrambled for a foothold- pawhold, whatever- as a wave nearly overturned him. The escaped convict growled and stood, seeing a shoreline begin to emerge with the sun.

That settled it. The dog turned a small circle on his craft, and let out a low whine. If he managed to make it to Moony's residence before the full moon, he'd give the werewolf his company for one night. After that, he wasn't sure what he'd do.

However, first he had to make a detour.

It was time that a very lovable stray went to the Ministry of Magic, and had a peek at some records.

**End of Prologue**

_Please review._


	2. Chapter One: Travelers and Tidings

_Tenebrae and Torch  
Chapter One  
"Travelers and Tidings"_

The dog wagged his tail as he padded along the street, the sausages clutched triumphantly in his mouth. Behind him, he heard the wizard he had stolen his feast from shouting hexes. Padfoot turned jauntily and gave the man another wag of his tail, scampering out of the way of another hex as the passerby laughed at his antics.

Padfoot only wagged his tail harder as he dashed down Diagon Alley and disappeared down into Knockturn Alley. The noble shopkeeper wouldn't follow him down there, as the risk of hitting a Dark Wizard who might lash out with a dangerous curse was high in the secluded alley. Padfoot's dark fur blended in with the grimy ground and slipped into the shadows leaving the canine fiend to munch happily on his stolen goods.

His feast completed, Padfoot began heading back up into the lighter aspect of Diagon Alley, wagging his tail as some of the shoppers patted his fur, congratulating him on his thievery. Padfoot gave them a friendly bark and wandered back towards the Leaky Cauldron, waiting for a passing wizard to unlock the entrance for the dog. While Padfoot waited and scratched his fleas, he thought about how long it was going to take to reach the Ministry of Magic.

If he loped the entire way, as he had done since his departure from Azkaban, it was likely that he would still have four or five days to reach wherever Remus had lived. Presently, his best gamble was to infiltrate the Ministry, take a peek at the records they kept on every registered werewolf in the Beast Division, and find where Remus was living. He still had six days until the full moon, so Padfoot was confident he would reach Moony in time for the approaching full moon. After he stayed the night with his old friend, he would be sure to leave before Moony awoke as a human in the morning.

For now, Padfoot sat by the stone and waited impatiently until a family of redheads approached the stone, the children among them chatting cheerfully.

"Do you think Scabbers will be fine?" one of the older ones asked, clutching something small in his hands.

The witch escorting them glanced impatiently at her son, "Percy," she scolded, "Your rat will be fine. He'd just a little under the weather," Padfoot waited, twitching as she began to slowly tap the stones.

"But mum, look at him," the boy pleaded, and as one Padfoot and the mother turned to glare at Percy, who was holding a rather ugly rat in his hands. Padfoot spared the rat a glance for an instance before turning away, beating his tail against the ground as the woman finally tapped the sequence upon the stones so that the dark mutt could slip through the alley, trotting happily, with his tail waving jauntily in the air. Padfoot had eaten to his heart's delight, was well rested, and had a mission to fulfill. For once in the years since Lord Voldemort had fallen and three of the four Marauders had fallen with him, Padfoot had a purpose to live for.

To any passerby, the dog's furiously wagging tail and flapping tongue would appear to just be a typical canine antic. Instead, it was one of the first feelings of primal elation the Animagus had felt in over nine years.

_Discidium_

It was almost too easy, Padfoot reflected, to make his way into the Ministry and into the Records room. No magical triggers had been set off, no Wizards had given the strange acting dog a second glance. Clearly, the news of his escape hadn't spread very far, or else the building would be in total lockdown as the Minister struggled to organize a successful task force.

Padfoot was also startled by the fact that he hadn't been arrested on the spot. Was there still some loyalty between the last Marauders? It appeared as though Remus hadn't diverged the information that the Marauders had hidden, the secret that they had nearly sworn an Unbreakable Vow about, so that the others could keep the secret.

The secret of Sirius Black the Marauder being Padfoot the Animagus.

The dark hound shook his head warily, Black giving a low growl as for a moment, pristine human emotions shouldered away the vague feelings of the canine. After a moment of thoughts running more clearly through his head then they had in years, Black pushed the door open with his snout, pacing down the aisles that held the names of registered Wizarding children, and various Squibs.

Black held on firmly to the control of his thoughts, knowing that the abstract thoughts Padfoot entertained wouldn't be enough to retain the information he needed. He just needed a few moments, a few moments to analyze and remember the details, than he would allow himself to sink back into the persona that he was learning to live.

Black paced down the aisles, his gaze wary for any sign of Wizarding life. He'd make a ruckus after he found what he needed, maybe stir up some trouble. Let them think that he had a plan, and that he wasn't running aimlessly. Maybe embarrass some prat he knew from school- something absolutely immature, something completely stupid, and _mad._ He wanted them to think that he was deranged, wanted them to think he was after-

_Harry Potter._

The file he was looking for caught his eye, and Black reared up on his back legs, resting his paws on the shelf. Delicately he gripped the surprisingly thin file in his teeth and yanked it down, sending its contents fluttering to the ground.

Black grinned mischievously, and in a completely relaxed manner, did the first reckless thing of many.

In a few seconds, the form of playful Padfoot became the form of reckless Sirius Black, the escaped convict crouching on the ground with narrowed eyes as he flipped quickly through the pile. Almost everything was there, except for the address of his godson's current residence. For a few seconds, he crouched there, gnawing on his lip as he thought. Now that he was thinking clearly, he knew that James would kill him if he left his son with some estranged relative. The Potter's were almost all dead, which left the Evan's family.

The former prisoner cursed as loudly as he dared, which was a barely audible volume to his own ears. However, he had no time to dawdle and sit on his arse, so the wizard grabbed the file and flung it down the row, turning to leave.

_Harry, I can't come for you now. But wait for me, and I'll find you._

Better that he left the file in the open as a red herring and find help. This area of the Records rooms was barely attended to, so he had a few hours at worst, at best, a few days, and he best be long gone by the time the alarm was raised.

Remus was the only option left.

But Sirius wanted to cause chaos before he left, and let the world know that Sirius Black was a deranged madman who wasn't to be taken seriously. The pun would have made him laugh, if he hadn't been focused on what lay ahead.

In between one shadow and the next, the man was a dog, and the dog no longer held the thoughts of the man.

Padfoot began to head through the Ministry with a lonely sigh. From the looks of things, the Ministry was even more lax then he had dared to hope. Things were sloppily run in most of the ministry, with important posts left unattended and workers ignoring anything not related to the height of fashion. A few Prophet reporters were about, and the dog gave a grin, filing that fact away for if he needed mischief to cover his escape. If the Prophet journalists- particularly Rita Skeeter- snapped a few picture of Black in the Ministry itself, it would lead to even more questions over his sanity.

Shaking away human-like thoughts in the event of a nearby Legitimus, the dog slipped through the Ministry building, ignored by most of the workers until he reached the Auror division. The canine casually glanced up and found his gaze locked with a figure who the last time he had been face to face with Sirius, gave him a solid kick in the ribs.

Mad-Eye Moody. The sight of two mismatched eyes, one brown, the other blue, meeting Padfoot's curious gaze caused his body to freeze and serve, heading into the division despite an overwhelming urge for him to run and hide. The dog avoided that Auror's desk as his human cognizant inwardly cursed. What if Remus had revealed him being an Animagus to the Aurors? He might as well be walking straight back into the Dementor's clutches.

No hexes, or restraining spells, flew his way however, and Sirius relaxed a bit, noticing that life in the Auror division seemed just the same as before, even if he noticed new faces. He recognized the face of a young, fifteen-year-old Nymphadora Tonks, as she munched happily at her lunch. Padfoot let his tongue flop out of his mouth, and he walked straight up to his cousin, eyeing her Chocolate Frogs and her sandwich hungrily. Padfoot sat at her feet, and when she glanced at him, gave one slow wag of the tail, hoping that she would take pity on him.

Soon, most of the Aurors had noticed him, and he found himself being fed scraps of food when they passed him by. Padfoot happily munched on their food, his tail thumping against the ground as the Aurors came and went.

For a while, everything was peaceful, despite the inhabitants of the area being the axe of the law. However, Padfoot found himself amused by the activities of the Aurors, until the canine noticed a disturbance brewing,

It began when Fudge bumbled his way into the office and demanded to speak to Mad-Eye Moody in private. The head Auror just crossed his arms, stood in the center of the Auror division and said that anything that was said in private would be relayed to the Aurors anyway, so the Minister should just open his damn mouth and say what needed to be said. Fudge just glared at the man until he looked slightly green at the sight of Mad-Eye's abnormal eye whizzing around in the socket.

"Well?" the Auror growled, his eye flipping back to view the back of his head. Padfoot just blinked and ambled back to his position near Tonks' chair, where Mad-Eye was glaring stonily at the newly appointed Minister. Padfoot blinked lazily again as he watched the Auror draw his wand. Fudge's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, but the Auror merely growled out a soft hex, "_Everte Statum." _He had muttered, and Padfoot leapt to his feet, ducking, as the hex hurled itself at Tonks. She found herself taken unawares, and blasted out of her seat. Dawlish caught her quickly, and Mad-Eye roared at her without turning around, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Tonks picked herself up with a scowl, muttering a string of names for Moody under her breath as she turned to Kingsley to say, "He curses Hogwarts students visiting Headquarters? I'd think he'd _want_ people to join, and not be scared away." Tonks muttered, and Kingsley gave her an answer in his low baritone voice.

"He did that to the last six people who wanted to have a tour before their OWL's," the man admitted. Tonks opened her mouth to reply, but the Minister of Magic had begun to speak.

"Auror Moody," Fudge began, gritting his teeth. "I'm sure you've heard that Sirius Black-"

"No," Moody had made sure to cut him off quickly, a growl in his voice.

"You don't even know what I was going to ask," Fudge had bumbled on, grumbling slightly. "I need you to track down Black. We can't have a mass-murderer running loose. Think of the bad publicity. I need someone who the public trusts to capture a deranged man after Potter, and they know your track rec-"

"No," Mad-Eye hissed again. "I will not take this case. Shacklebolt!" the Auror had snapped and a dark-skinned man glanced up from where he was filling out paperwork.

"Any sightings of Sirius Black?" the question said by Moody caused Padfoot to flinch as he delicately worked his way through a bowl of pumpkin juice. The only Auror that had answered Moody was Kinsley Shacklebolt.

"No," came the low, deep rumble. "He's been keeping his head low. We have a watch set up on Remus' house, but I can't expect my Aurors to stay on the property while he transforms on the full moon. Most of them can barely stand being near the werewolf when he's human. I can't ask them to do that."

"Black won't go there," Moody growled back. "Lupin would turn him in to us in a heartbeat, and Black knows that. I trained him, and I don't train stupid snot-nosed brats barely out of Hogwarts."

Padfoot stood and stretched lazily, shaking away the thought of the only time he had been mentioned by the Aurors. His movement attracted the attention of the nearby Aurors but they turned away after they noticed it was just him. The back dog took the opportunity to steal one last sandwich before he padded out of the division, tail waving jauntily through the air as the Aurors resumed their activities.

That information could prove useful. Padfoot hadn't expected a watch on Remus, and he knew he'd have to be doubly careful now. However, Padfoot reflected as he left the Ministry, he wasn't planning to be seen.

The dog set off though London, trotting throughout the day and only resting when he was close to collapsing on the ground. Padfoot happily chased rabbits as he left towards the one destination that kept tugging at him, his tail waving frantically at the thought of being with the last remaining friend he had left.

The canine didn't notice a whirling blue eye tracking his movements as he departed.

_Discidium_

The newspaper showed the picture of a madman screaming with laughter, his eyes like sunken holes. The person holding the paper felt his heart sink at the sight. It had been far too short a time since he had seen that picture, a time approaching eight years. Sighing, the worn man laid down the paper full of moving images, and boring headlines. At least, every headline but one was boring. The one headline that wasn't dull to the reader was the one screaming across the page, almost as chilling as the picture that had caught his attention. Another sigh escaped his lips before he could hold it in, and anxiously the man glanced up at the outside moon. Two more days.

Remus Lupin slammed the paper down on the table in a rare show of temper, a snarl working its way onto his face. He tried to be in control constantly, but on days like this, he was always on the verge of snapping. Today, it seemed to him as though he was about to actually snap.

Azkaban was supposed to be escape-proof. It was supposed to drive inmates to insanity, not to plotting escape attempts that succeeded. It was meant to keep people _in_, not to let them out. It was supposed to destroy what thought process the prisoners had left, and not to allow them to create cunning plans designed to fool guards and Dementors alike.

Two more days.

The thought made the wolf inside pace and snarl, longing to be let out of the human cage it was in. Remus gave a low growl in his frustration. That _man_, that _monster_ had been responsible for the demolition of the pack. The wolf wanted to find him and to tear him apart. It was his pack that had been threatened, and the _murderer_ had laughed as his pack was obliterated in a heartbeat. The wolf snarled.

With difficulty, Remus shook his thoughts away, shaking his graying sandy hair out of the normally controlled conditions he kept it in. He shook himself out of his stupor and gave a grunt of disbelief. Pad- Siri- no, _Black,_ would be caught in a heartbeat and what was left of the pack would stay safe. The only two remaining members of the pack was the cub, Harry, and Remus. He'd only seen the boy from a distance over the past few years, but that was enough to cause Remus to long to take him in and protect him. However, no one was going to allow a werewolf to be the guardian of the Boy Who Lived, so he was content to watch from a distance.

The werewolf nearly leapt out of his skin as the white, opaque doe burst through the door and the voice of Severus Snape issued impassionedly, "Black escaped. The Headmaster requests your presence by Floo to Hogwarts."

Remus curled his lip, narrowing his eyes slightly. To this day, he still preferred to avoid, not just Snape, but Dumbledore and most things Hogwarts related. However, Remus knew that the Headmaster would request his presence for a reason, and Remus owed him a debt that the werewolf could never repay. For that reason alone, the man threw a handful of powder in the fireplace, and growled a few quiet words.

"Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office."

**End of Chapter One.**

_Sirius is known to be reckless and immature. He's also very, very, smart. So far, he's running on instinct. He isn't sure where Harry is, so he can't try to find him. Because of that, he decided to lay a false trail to keep the Wizarding World distracted while Sirius stops by Lupin's old home. Sirius decided against causing chaos by transforming in the Ministry, simply because he doesn't want the intelligent, loveable black dog to be linked with the escaped criminal. I assumed that Azkaban is not regularly patrolled by Wizards, so I gave Sirius a few days leeway to get ahead of the game. Even though it's probably possible for Dementors and wizards to communicate, I assume at the Dementors would have to find the prison warden, who would then have to call an Auror, who would then check the cell and notify superiors, who would then come to Azkaban and notify _their_ superiors, and eventually it would make its way up to Fudge who would try to keep it quiet. Then Rita would find out. So yeah, I rationalized all of that in my mind._

_And as so Sirius being in the Ministry under everyone's nose and getting away scotch free… well, you can tell not all is as it seems. More explained next chapter._

_Please review!_

_Next chapter (Problematic Plans): Dumbledore calls a meeting, the full moon approaches, and we meet some Weasley's._


	3. Chapter Two: Problematic Plans

Thank you to the following reviewers, for reviewing chapter 1- _thedarkscareslittlekids, and deisegirl._

I'm looking for a beta- anyone interested?

_Tenebrae and Torch  
Chapter Two  
"The Fugitive"_

_Chapter Two: Problematic Plans _

_Two more days until the full moon._

_The werewolf nearly leapt out of his skin as the white, opaque doe burst through the door and the voice of Severus Snape issued impassionedly, "Black escaped. The Headmaster requests your presence by Floo to Hogwarts."_

_Remus curled his lip, narrowing his eyes slightly. To this day, he still preferred to avoid, not just Snape, but Dumbledore and most things Hogwarts related. However, Remus knew that the Headmaster would request his presence for a reason, and Remus owed him a debt that the werewolf could never repay. For that reason alone, the man threw a handful of powder in the fireplace, and growled a quiet word._

_"Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office."_

Remus strode out of the fireplace, anger clearly defined in his features as he glared at the five full-humans in the room. He let his eyes run over each of them, calling to mind every detail he knew about them and filing them away so that he could use the knowledge during the situation.

Alaster Moody, Dark Wizard catcher. He was close with Dumbledore, and was responsible for catching S-_Black _the first time around. If he was here, that meant that Dumbledore was also trying to catch Black before Black could cause any harm to Dumbledore's Golden Boy. Things were certainly not looking well for Sirius.

Remus felt his face tighten at the mental slip as Dumbledore caught his eye. The werewolf's thoughts were drawn to what he knew about Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore, one of the greater Wizards for the Light. He was an icon of hope, after Harry Potter. He was responsible for organizing the Order of the Phoenix, as well as for keeping Hogwarts running smoothly. His list of tasks were far to great too list, and Remus knew that Albus was probably wanting him to pay back his debt by helping catch Sirius.

Albus' steady blue eyes twinkled as he met Remus' gaze, and the werewolf pulled his eyes away, recalling the rumors of the old wizard being a Legitimus. That thought alone caused Remus to look away and instead glance at Severus Snape, keeping his eyes away from Severus' own coal-black ones.

Severus Snape, suspected Death Eater. He was called many things- greasy-haired git, overgrown bat, Dumbledore's lapdog, but he was a force to be reckoned with. It was likely that he was going to be a formidable key for catching Black, and probably one of the key instruments in actually capturing him. Although, he'd probably hex Black first and ask questions later. Lupin glanced up curiously, and saw intense dislike… no, _malice _and _loathing _flashing across Snape's face before the ex-Death Eater turned his eyes away to latch onto the last two men in the meager gathering.

The next… long red-hair tied back into a pony tail, silver dragon fang dangling from one ear. He was tall, with a scrawny build. Remus hadn't met him before, but he could probably guess who he and the short and stocky red-head beside him were.

"Remus Lupin," the werewolf inclined his head as Dumbledore spoke his name. "Let me introduce you to Bill and Charlie Weasley," each of the redheads nodded in turn as their names were introduced.

Remus watched as the first one held out a hand, "Please to meet you. I'm Bill," Remus hesitantly reached out to grip the taller one's hand, but the other Weasley, Charlie, spoke quickly.

"Is it true you're a werewolf?" he asked suddenly, and Remus stiffened at the gleam in his eye. Remus cast Dumbledore a hesitant look as the older wizard left out a chuckle.

"I- erm, yes," Remus stammered, and nothing could prepare him for what came next out of the younger-looking Weasley's mouth.

"Wicked!" Charlie gasped, and Remus cast a critical eye over him. Now he noticed the pale burn on his forearm, the scars from what looked like a set of claws. His arms were well-muscled, and he had a weather-beaten face. "I'm Charlie Weasley, dragon tamer. Dumbledore requested that I come in from Romania."

That explained it, Remus noted. He was the Weasley well-known as being fascinated with dangerous creatures, much in the same as Hagrid. It certainly made sense for him to be fascinated by a werewolf. Remus opened his mouth to respond, but he found himself cut off by Snape.

"Headmaster," Snape began, but Dumbledore raised a hand slowly into the air, signaling the group to be silent.

"We are here to discuss the escape and to plan the capture of Sirius Black."

_Discidium_

The bushes rustled quietly and the dog froze as the sound of labored human breathing and heavy, thumping footsteps attracted his attention. In a single moment, he was on his feet, teeth bared in a snarl as Padfoot waited for the human to show itself. However, he didn't truly wish to be noticed, so he slipped further into the bushes, crouching low against the ground and remaining still.

The jogger rounded the corner and Padfoot relaxed, shifting his weight slightly as he looked over the man. He appeared to be a Muggle, but Sirius couldn't be positive. It was likely that all Muggleborn Aurors had been assigned across Britain to masquerade as Muggles. If that was the case, then Padfoot could be walking into a trap.

The jogger passed and Padfoot relaxed, his ears swiveling to catch any sound. Ever since he had laid the false trail for the Aurors, his paranoia had been rivaling that of Mad-Eye's. He had moved locations every night, never remaining in the same place for more than an hour or so. A few times he had doubled back to check for any pursuers, but he still jumped at every sound, convinced that every time he closed his eyes, he would open them to the Dementors floating above him, prepared to steal his soul.

No wonder he was exhausted.

Slinking further into the bushes, Padfoot allowed his dark fur to mingle with the darkness of the shadows as he returned to the cave he had sheltered in the night before. The Animagus shifted back to the guise of a man, and shook his head as he swept his tangled and matted hair out of his face, his stomach rumbling with hunger as he leaned against the wall, examining the sun outside curiously. Eight more hours until darkness. It was eight more hours until he could make his way to his last resting place before the actual night of the full moon. Thirty-two more hours until Remus made his last lonely transformation. Thirty-two more hours until Sirius was with his best friend again.

Sirius bared his teeth, unaware of how much his expression looked like Padfoot's. He was a fool if he thought that Remus would believe him. Moony wasn't going to welcome Sirius back with open arms, in fact; he wouldn't be surprised if the werewolf attacked him. However, he could hope that Moony would relay his story to Dumbledore. He was going to put all his eggs in one basket, and he wouldn't be surprised if Moony ended up holding an egg-smashing party. Well, the wizard was going anyway. Sirius was well known for doing the stupidest action possible, simply because it was something no one would expect.

Besides, James didn't call Sirius an idiot for nothing.

_Discidium_

It was not often that Albus Dumbledore was flummoxed by a former student. Even less often than that Albus was so dumbfounded that he was absolutely unable to bring himself to speak. However, he wanted it to be put on the record that in the space of a few hours, Sirius Black had managed to do both. It wasn't the first time that Mr. Black had managed to do that; after all, over the space of his Hogwarts years, Mr. Black managed to bring that strange occurance about several times. Even more shocking was how he continued to do it long after Albus was certain of his means and methods.

Looking at the map of all confirmed sightings, Albus had to concur with Alastair. While Mr. Black's trail varied, jumping around from place to place and occasionally looping back on itself, it appeared that he was heading in one direction in particular. If Albus had been told by any witch or wizard that Mr. Black would head straight towards his best friend's abode after escaping from prison, he would have recommended them a ward in St. Mungo's and given them the name of one of his former students who specialized in that field.

If Albus was a man of coarse language, he would have asked himself _why the hell Sirius Black was heading to the house of a man who surely hated him. _However, Albus wasn't a man of coarse language and curses, so instead he calmly and reasonably asked himself if Mr. Black was aiming to kill the last Marauder loyal to the Light.

All evidence pointed towards that eventuality, but Albus felt that he was missing a very important piece of information. Surely Mr. Black wasn't deranged enough to break into the house of a werewolf on the full moon without a wand, or means to protect himself. _Surely_, Mr. Black had a sense of self-preservation.

Albus was pulled out of his thoughts as a piece in the ongoing discussion pulled at his attention.

"Is there any possibility that Black is an Animagus?" the low growl of the only Auror in the room caught Albus' attention, and his gaze automatically shifted to Remus'. When Remus glanced up in surprise at the question, his eyes met Albus' and the Hogwart's Alumni paled slightly in response to the twinkle in Albus' eyes.

When Remus didn't say a thing, the Headmaster turned his gaze to Severus and caught the man's eye. Severus noticed the small nod from Albus, and turned his gaze to Remus. Albus watched him mouth a single spell.

_Legilimens._

The word hung on Severus' lips, and Albus watched the expression on Severus' face change from a cool haughtiness to a shocked widening of the eyes.

Albus blinked as Remus glanced away from him, obviously reacting to something Severus had said in response to Alastair. The conversation continued, but Remus remained silent, as did Albus. The old wizard was certain that they were silent for different reasons. Was it possible that Remus was remaining silent? Was it possible that somehow, he was helping Black allude capture? Albus glanced at Remus guiltily, knowing that his allowance of Severus' actions had very little justification. However, Albus had to keep the Boy-Who-Lived safe from the hands of Sirius Black.

The Headmaster winced slightly as Severus snapped out something about mangy werewolves and what they were useful for. The Headmaster watched Remus' face tighten at the words, and Albus opened his mouth, reigning them in with a quiet admonishment. "My children," he told them softly, "Let us set aside childhood disputes and focus on Black."

The conversation continued, theories thrown into the air and tossed to the side. Albus shook his head slightly, listening as they moved from topics such as Black's present location to how he escaped Azkaban. At last, they adjoined, leaving with no conclusive explanation on any of the reasons they had gathered for.

Albus felt his gaze rest on Remus again as the werewolf left by the way of the Floo, looking irritable. The Headmaster narrowed his twinkling eyes slightly, his smile slipping somewhat.

Remus was hiding something from them, and Albus had a feeling that it was something that might prove important very, very, soon.

_Discidium_

_**Author's Note**_

_**God damn it! (pardon my French) I've been scrapping and rewriting this chapter since I started posting the story on ff! Still not satisfied with it, and I'm convinced it's a piece of crap. However, because I am still sick, I see no reason to continue trying to edit this. I took out a few scenes- originally, Albus was going to use Legilimency on Remus, and tried to make everyone more in character. I don't think I'm ever writing from Albus' POV again... arg. Anyway, please give me your thoughts, and if you want to point out a few tips for how to make this chapter better... by all means, be my guest!**_

_**I would **_**really_ appreciate reviews!_**

**_`Lady Fox, formerly AvengedRomantic_**

_Next Chapter, "Double Deals": On the day before the full moon, outside of Ottery St. Catchpole, two former friends, now enemies, for they serve a different purpose, collide. Everything is not as it seems for more than one Wizard is following their own plan. Sirius draws closer to Rem__us, and a twist occurs._

_Chapter Edit notice: Thank you to James018 for pointing out my misspelling of the the word "Legilimens" and "legilimency". I suppose all those Latin classes make me want to correct it to "legitmus" simply because that is sorta more grammatically correct- well, as far as a first year Latin student knows_


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